ward off

Related to ward off: point out, out of commission, wreak havoc

ward off

To push back or defend against someone or something that is advancing. A noun or pronoun can be used between "ward" and "off." How will we ward off all these attackers? If you feel like you're getting a cold, these vitamin C tablets should help you to ward it off. These talismans were thought to ward off evil spirits.
See also: off, ward
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

ward someone or something off

to hold someone or something off; to fight someone or something off. The army was able to ward the attackers off repeatedly. We couldn't ward off the attackers any longer.
See also: off, ward
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

ward off

1. Turn aside, parry, as in He tried to ward off her blows. [Second half of 1500s]
2. Try to prevent, avert, as in She took vitamin C to ward off a cold. [Mid-1700s]
See also: off, ward
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

ward off

v.
1. To try to prevent; avert: You should take vitamins to ward off infections.
2. To turn something aside; repel: The champion boxer warded off the opponent's blows. The flies were annoying me, but I warded them off.
See also: off, ward
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • check off
  • base off (of) (something else)
  • bite off
  • blow off
  • blow someone/something off
  • blow off the map
  • buck off
  • cheese someone off
References in periodicals archive
It is also chewed to ward off cold and hunger and to combat altitude sickness.
Down from the mountain: Bolivia's new leader can make indigenous people happy, or investors, but probably not both
DRESSING up apple trees to ward off evil spirits will be among the quirky attractions at an Apple Day event next weekend.
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Since the 1940s, most American municipal water supplies have been routinely dosed with fluoride in a grand attempt to ward off tooth decay.
What about fluoride?
A one-inch-thick aerogel slab can shield a delicate flower from a 1,400[degrees]C (2,600[degrees]F) flame and ward off cold better than 15 thermal windowpanes stacked back to back.
Featherweight. (Tech News)
A recently completed study shows daily moderate consumption of alcohol may ward off Alzheimer disease and other forms of dementia later in life by up to 70%, a British newspaper reported Friday,
Study shows alcohol can prevent dementia, paper says
Dressed in a black coat and black balaclava to ward off the cold, the Very Rev.
Black Santa
Stories were told by workers in the fields in an effort to ward off the listless effects of engaging in monotonous duties.
The African Spirit of Storytelling
Pooling resources and consensus action can ward off needless rules and regulations.
Doable solutions
A HERBAL supplement to ward off colds can increase the chance of people developing cold-like symptoms,according to researchers.
Your Health: Cold cure that could leave you with a cold
WHAT SILENCE PRINCIPALLY ARMORS US AGAINST is Babel: the endless foolish chatter, words used to confound thought, words misused to ward off friendship or attachments, words as occupation.
Beyond Babel
In her discussion of imitatio, Julia Haig Gaisser(1) describes how humanist scholars and poets justified their light, titillating compositions, based on Catullus, Martial, and The Priapea, by invoking the ancient literary defense, whose purpose was essentially to ward off potential critics or else to justify their oeuvre by making a sharp distinction between their life and their art.
Panormita's reply to his critics: the 'Hermaphroditus' and the literary defense
The ending, with the women in a repetitive fast run around the bed, suggests the making of a magic circle to ward off the Angel of Death.
Nicola Hawkins Dance Company
Summary: Mumbai [India], September 5 (ANI): In a bid to ward off any untoward incident and avail a smooth immersion of the Ganpati idol (Ganpati Visarjan) today, tight security arrangements have been made in Mumbai.
Security arrangements tightened in Mumbai in wake of Ganpati Visarjan
Have a brew Tea isn't just comforting in winter, it's also packed with antioxidants and proven to help ward off dementia.
Hot remedies for a cold war; Turns out grandma really did know best